Friday, 15 May 2015

Cartoon enthusiasts will recall those harrowing scenes from Roadrunner where Wile E Coyote is blown to kingdom come only to reappear in one
piece as if by magic moments later.

Such a transformation now seems uppermost in the minds of some
of the defeated Conservative candidates to whom voters gave the push a week
ago.

Word on the street is that the Tories are expecting a
shed-load of resignations in the not too distant future – largely from the new
UKIP contingent, which might let them stand again and claw their way back into
power on Boston Borough Council.

Already it seems, plotters at the Tory base camp alpha have
assembled a list of who gets first dibs on the first vacancy – but we’ll not
spoil things by letting you in on the secret!

Meanwhile, the man who led the Tories to their ballot box
defeat was calmly rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

On Monday’s BBC Radio
Lincolnshire Breakfast Show Peter Bedford was described as the “Tory leader
of the authority” and the “Leader of the Tories on Boston Borough Council.”

To us this seemed a little previous – but if it was a slip
of the tongue, then nothing was done to correct it.

Councillor Bedford is a droner
– talking in a near monotone at a tedious, soporific pace which makes him sound
almost as bored as his listeners doubtless were.

If local politics is unappealing, it is because of
interviews such as this...

“.... as of yet we don't even know who the other group leaders
are ...

“... we will do our best, we’ve delivered all our promises
...

“... hopefully the existing councillors which aren’t UKIP
will support us ...”

Since the council is split equally between the Tories and
UKIP, Bedford was asked whether joint working was the most democratic solution.

“... that depends who their leader is and on their thoughts,
obviously ... I think there’s only one with any council experience at all of
Boston...”

A novel idea, that – democracy dictated by who you like best
rather than what the electorate prefers.

So … had there been discussions with Labour or the
Independents?

“... one group, but not the other because we still haven’t
been confirmed who is their group leader ...”

We think that you will have got the picture by now.

House of Cards it
ain’t.

More like the Magic
Roundabout.

***

What seemed clear at that early stage – and has subsequently
become clearer – is that as far as the
Conservative group is concerned, determination to retain the
political status quo and refurnish the cosy club that they have inhabited
for years surpasses the demands of the electorate.

Never mind that almost as many people voted for UKIP as they
did for the Conservatives, those electors seem unlikely to get their wish for a
new look council, as the behind the scenes negotiations will strive to ensure
that the newcomers will be as heavily stifled as possible.

Whilst the Tory players and others concerned presumably
consider themselves politically adroit with such machinations, we understand
that UKIP is adopting a far more rational, sensible and cautious approach – accepting
that with so many inexperienced councillors there is a need to take things
slowly as they learn the ropes.

What disappointed us most was the Tory assumption that when voters say they want
a cocktail of Conservative and UKIP input to Boston Borough Council, what
they really mean is that they want the Tories to carry on as if nothing has
happened – with Bedford remaining in charge ... regardless of his lamentable leadership these past four years..

This was not the message from the ballot box as we
understood it.

And whilst he started the interview by saying that Monday
afternoon would be the “important” time for wheeling and dealing to begin to
shape the new council and to “get things ironed out” ... by lunchtime on Thursday, we
were still none the wiser.

In the meantime – and at least two days previously – David
Cameron had appointed an entire government.. from the Cabinet down to the nuts
and bolts in the minor ministries.

But then he talks a lot more quickly than Peter Bedford.

***

Amusingly, at the end of the piece, Bedford was asked for
his assessment of the town’s new MP, Matt Warman.

For Bedford, the response was effusive.

“Matt is like a breath
of fresh air ...” he raved.

Students of irony may well have noted how sharply the aforementioned
“breath of fresh air” contrasted with the
inflated old windbag making the comparison.

***

When Bedford spoke of talks with “one group, but not the
other,” the inescapable conclusion was that these talks involved the “Independent” clan Austin – something which most observers would regard as a marriage made in hell .
This was confirmed late on Thursday afternoon, with the announcement of a "soft" coalition between the Tories and their former arch enemies and founders of the Boston Bypass Independents.
The word "soft" sums it all up quite appositely.
At long last, we also had confirmation that Bedford had again ascended the Worst Street throne ... unopposed – another triumph for democracy.

We understand that Richard Austin will succeed his wife
as Boston’s next mayor – something we
are eagerly anticipating, although we have mixed feelings about whether we can
survive such a charisma offensive for another twelve months.

Much of the blame for the pitiful state that Boston
was said to be in when the Tories took power in 2011 was laid at the door of
the Boston Bypass Independents – so any
decision to wheel and deal with the duo most associated with them reeks of desperation and an obsession to cling on to power at all costs.

If someone had told us a week ago that the Austins would
emerge as a latter day Lone Ranger and Tonto
to gallop to the rescue of the Conservatives, and be welcomed by the Tory leader Bedford to boot, we would have collapsed laughing.

As Harold Wilson almost once said: "The weak are a long time in politics."
News of the "softies" taking over the council was accompanied by a list of new cabinet members ... and we'll look at that next week.
What will be most interesting is to see who will become the Chair of the borough Planning Committee.

***

One idea that took our fancy formed after we glimpsed a
couple of adjacent headlines on the Boston Borough Council website.

How exciting, we thought, if the Tories and UKIP staged a Strictly Come Dancing-style competition
in which the winner gained control of the council for the coming four years.

But of course, they’d never get past the first question ...
“Will you lead, or shall I ...?

***

We are told that the UKIP “defector” that we mentioned on
Monday – Barrie Pierpoint of the
Old Leake and Wrangle ward – has been
“rejected” by the Conservatives with whom he apparently had a conversation ...

However, word elsewhere says that he’s been given a two
months “probationary” period on the naughty step and told that good behaviour
will be rewarded with a Conservative welcome.

This might prove more difficult than it sounds, as tales
surrounding his spat with his original masters spoke of constant communication
with another party, some less than pleasant e-mails and demands to take the
helm.

A decision was taken to suspend him after the election
pending a disciplinary hearing … but when told the news at the count on Friday
morning, he quit his party and now calls himself Independent.

***

This prompted an angry response from an insider, who said
that it would be interesting to speculate what might happen if a petition from
voters in the Old Leake and Wrangle ward protested at the way they had been
“duped.”

Another question concerned how other Independents felt about
taking such a member on board and, if they were not keen, whether Councillor
Pierpoint relished the thought of having
no committee places as a single person “group.”

“That's how the Conservatives have treated David Owens and
Carol Taylor for years.

"Privately, I would be disgusted with any group – red, blue,
green or yellow – that takes such a person on board.”

***

They say that every silver lining has a cloud – or something like that – and for us it came in the form of an e-mail
from former councillor and town centre fuhrer
Derek “Knocker” Richmond, who
did not seek re-election last week.

In a patronising farewell message to his former council
chamber colleagues, he wrote: “I would like to thank you all for the support I
have had over the last four years, as you know we took over the administration
when this Council was in a very poor state and without all of your efforts it
may now well be being run by another authority and so keep up the good work.

“As you know I'm not standing tomorrow but as they say, I'll
be back ...”

Threats like these are the kind that a mother might make to a
wayward child

... “ Keep your room tidy, or there’ll be a knock on the
door from Derek Richmond …”

But we suppose that it is entirely possible that Mr Richmond
is another of those looking for a return to rule via a by-election – and is trying
to muster the signatures needed for his nomination even as we speak.

His reminder that Boston perhaps came close to being merged
with another authority echoes what we said on Monday in our local election
special issue.

The political Machiavellis
in Worst Street may enjoy playing their silly games but a council as small and
expensive as Boston needs to play a careful game to avoid being subsumed into
another authority.

***

Interestingly, we noted that some steps in that direction
are already being taken. Lincolnshire County Council Leader Martin Hill is said
to be floating a plan to abolish the county’s seven district councils to save
£30m.

It’s not the first time that he has mentioned this, and he
has now said that reforming local government in Lincolnshire should be
considered.

He said: "We have done some initial work and for
example if we went for one unitary authority we would save about £30m a year.

"I'm not saying that this is the answer but we can't
ignore that issue."

Today's annual meeting at County Hall will see Councillor
Hill propose setting up a working group to explore the idea.

Suggestions of how the county could be run include a
“doughnut style” model with a “central Lincolnshire council” surrounded by
rural areas.

Whatever the result, jobs would go – particularly those of
chief executives across the district councils.

Councillor Hill said: "It would be much better to work
better together to save money and it would be easier for the public and
receivers of services to work out."

He also said that bringing the councils together would give
Lincolnshire “a better brand” – which is of course the usual tosh talked to
make it sound vibrant and exciting.

What is also intriguing is Hill’s assumption that he is in a
position to control the future of Lincolnshire’s districts.

Boston may not be the best, but to merge it with Lincoln
would make matters worse

***

With chief executive roles potentially on the chopping
block, we are reminded that Boston Borough Council is still farting about over
a successor for the job in Worst Street.

Richard Harbord became “acting” chief executive in 2009 and
delivered a performance to rival that of The
Mousetrap, enjoying a series of contract extensions – a number of them “final”
– until he left the council at the end of November last year.

Long serving officer Phil Drury was appointed to act in his
place.

What we can’t quite understand is why – given that Harbord
would have been leaving in a few weeks had he not quit … his contract was last extended
until 31st July “to provide stability and oversee any changes that
may occur at the next election in May 2015” – nothing has yet been done to seek
a “proper” replacement.

The option for Mr Drury to continue “acting” is for up to 12
months – with the erroneous suggestion that £10,000 a month would be saved
until the post was filled.

There seems now to be no reason to delay matters further.

In fact – given that there are so many inexperienced new councillors
… not all of them Ukippers … – the need
for some stability among the officer structure becomes more important than
ever.

***

Meanwhile, it would appear that parting has definitely been
a “sweet sorrow” for Mr Harbord.

Whilst in post, his pay for 15 days work a month was around
the £10,000 mark.

But according to the borough’s own figures, his pay packet
from September, October and November last year totalled almost £42,000 – around
£12,000 more than might have been expected.

Answers on a postcard, please.

***

Still on the matter of jobs, we note that the electronic
signature of UKIP’s Mr Fixit in Boston and Skegness – Don Ransome – describes
him as “Campaign Manager for Robin Hunter-Clarke, UKIP PPC for Boston and Skegness 2020.”

The boy wonder was reported last week as saying that he
wasn’t going anywhere ... but we still find it hard to believe that he won't be
drawn by the lure of another seat before then, rather than cooling his heels
for – what for him – will be a quarter of his future lifetime.

***

In his radio interview on Monday morning, Lord Bedford of Boston
was at pains to remind us how his boys and girls in blue had delivered all
their promises during the past four years.

These were, of course, sufficiently vague to be declared
“delivered” in a very broad way – as are the promises designed to cover the
next four years.

They comprised such things as delivering their “long term
local plan” to enable the distributor road bypassing Boston to be built; to
“continue” the green waste collection and “empower” local communities to combat
litter and antisocial behaviour; reviewing parking charges: to keep our
streets cleaner and safer for all; working to the delivery of the Boston
Barrier, and having a Cabinet meeting Question Time.

And they call those promises!

The long term local plan is now decided by something
called South East Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee
on which South Holland District Council and Lincolnshire County Council
have a vote.

A pledge to “continue” green waste collection makes it sound
as if it is under threat. What we expect is some sort of pretext to introduce
annual charges – despite repeated Conservative pledges that it would remain
free after the initial bin purchase.

“Empowering” local communities to combat litter means
nothing more than persuading taxpayers to do the job that the council is
currently charging them for but not doing properly.

As far as car parking is concerned, the promise to make them
work better for “businesses, visitors, and residents of the borough” sounds
impressive, but means nothing – and we note that not for the first time, the residents are at the bottom of the list.

The wishiest and washiest of the promises is that of a public question time at cabinet
sessions.

Sometimes, these have lasted little more than half an hour,
and comprised a list of instructions to a band of compliant ninnies to send to the
full council for rubber stamping.

No doubt the time-worn idea that this is adding to
“transparency” at Worst Street will be trotted out – but it will do nothing of
the kind.

If the council really wants to let some light into its
darker corners the most effective start
would be to publish a list of how councillors vote which would tell us much
more about them and their loyalties to the town.

***

Interestingly, in the world of promises, our newly elected
MP – whom the voters actually did want in power – has nailed his
colours firmly to the mast.

In a round robin message to voters, successful Tory
candidate Matt Warman said: “I’m writing to ... pledge that over the next five
years I will serve every constituent diligently and with enthusiasm.

“It is a huge privilege to be asked to serve you: I will
work with councillors and colleagues in Westminster to make sure our local
roads, schools and hospitals receive the investment they deserve; I will speak
loudly on the profound changes, for better and worse, wrought on our
constituency by changes in population over the last decade; and I will try to
re-engage people in politics so that we never again face the sense of
powerlessness and disillusionment I heard about on the doorstep.

“Boston and Skegness is no more a single-issue constituency
than any other. We face a huge range of challenges and opportunities. Whether
that is seizing the chance to further enhance the thriving tourist businesses
in Skegness, building on Boston’s market, or continuing to produce the best
food in the country, there is a bright future ahead.”

What we need now is to hear something similar at a local
level, and things will be looking much better!

***

No sooner had we put the general election behind us than the
answer to a long standing question was revealed – how will our former estate agent and MP Mark Simmonds make ends meet now that he's
no longer at Westminster.

Well, now we know.

Simmonds has been appointed a managing director at Kroll – “a multicultural team of leading experts
from the fields of investigations, intelligence, risk analysis, cyber security,
data breach response, and e-discovery committed to conducting business
ethically and serving clients with independence and integrity.”

Simmonds’ job there will involve “providing strategy for
cross border business intelligence and asset recovery.”

Simmonds had no official dealings with Kroll or its
competitors while he was secretary of state for Africa.

But it’s interesting to note that his request for permission
to pursue the job was one of a number made since he announced his resignation
last year.

Job interests must be vetted by the government’s Office of the Advisory
Committee on Business Appointments, and as well as running the job with
Kroll past them, he also asked about accepting a paid appointment as Chairman
of the advisory board for Invest Africa
and a part-time, paid appointment as Chief Operating Officer of the Counter Extremism Project – a
not-for-profit, non-partisan, international policy organisation set up “to
counter the extremism narrative and to shine a light on terrorist financing.”

He also sought approval from the committee over
a paid appointment as a Strategic
Advisor for FIRST – assisting with advice
and the promotion of UK trade., and a paid job as non-executive deputy chairman
of the Commonwealth Enterprise and
Investment Council.

Let’s hope that all these will bring in enough money to live on!

You can write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your
e-mails will be treated in confidence and published anonymously if requested.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About the author

is written and edited by retired Lincolnshire born writer and broadcaster Malcolm Swire, who was brought up in London, where he began his career in journalism.
In the 1960s he joined the Boston Standard before returning to London to write for the UK’s national news agency, the Press Association – then based in Fleet Street.
He returned to Lincolnshire –where his family history goes back more than a century – in various public relations roles, before becoming a founder member of BBC Radio Lincolnshire,where he created the station's Go for Gold appeal,which raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.
Over the years, he read the news, presented programmes and retired from the BBC as the station's Programme Organiser and Deputy Managing Editor.
He started the Boston Eye blog in February 2007 and has vowed to continue until Boston Borough Council's leadership is all that it should be!
He has dug in for a long wait!